Potato Starch Flour This is a gluten-free thickening agent that is perfect for cream- based soups and sauces. Mix a little with water first, then substitute potato starch flour for flour in your recipe, but cut the amount in half. Tapioca Flour This is a light, white, very smooth flour that comes from the cassava root. It makes baked goods impart a nice chewy taste. Use it in recipes where a chewy texture would be desirable. It would work nicely in bread recipes such as white bread or French bread. It is also easily combined with cornstarch and soy flour. Cornstarch This is a refined starch that comes from corn. It is mostly used as a clear thickening agent for puddings, fruit sauces and Asian cooking. It is also used in combination with other flours for baking. Corn Flour This flour is milled from corn and can be blended with cornmeal to make cornbread or muffins. It is excellent for waffles or pancakes. Cornmeal This is ground corn that comes from either yellow or white meal. It is often combined with flours for baking. It imparts a strong corn flavor that is delicious in pancakes, waffles, or simple white cakes. White Rice Flour This is an excellent basic flour for gluten-free baking. It is milled from polished white rice. Because it has such a bland flavor, it is perfect for baking, as it doesn't impart any flavors. It works well with other flours. White rice flour is available in most health food stores, but also in Asian markets. At the Asian markets it is sold in different textures. (look for fine textured white rice flour) Brown Rice Flour This flour comes from unpolished brown rice. It has more food value because it contains bran. Use it in breads, muffins, and cookies. Although pre-packaged gluten-free flour mixes are available, they tend to be more expensive than making your own. A good idea would be to double or triple home-made mixtures, mix thoroughly, and store in a tightly closed container at room temperature. Adapted from All Recipes.Com |
Alternative Flours
Autism Angels Network
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- Going gluten free does not mean your child
has to completely miss out on his or her
favorite baked goods. Most foods can be easily
duplicated by substituting wheat flour with
alternative flours. There are many pre-made
gluten free foods available that can be found
at specialty grocery stores as well as many
neighborhood markets.
- Through trial and error, I have found that it
is more cost effective to mix up my own flour
blends to be used for baking breads, muffins,
and cookies, and making pancakes or waffles.
Below is a list of alternative flours, describing
each type of flour and what each is best
suited for.
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Wheat flour contains gluten, which keeps cookies, cakes and pies from getting crumbly and falling apart. It is what makes baked goods have a good texture because it traps pockets of air. This creates the airy quality that most baked goods possess when baked with traditional wheat flour. In order to help retain this structure when using non- wheat flours, gluten substitutes must be added to a gluten-free flour mixture. For each cup of gluten-free flour mix, add at least 1 teaspoon of gluten substitute. Two substitutes for gluten: •Xanthum Gum This comes from the dried cell coat of a microorganism called Zanthomonas campestris. It is formulated in a laboratory setting. This works well as a gluten substitution in yeast breads along with other baked goods. •Guar Gum This is a powder that comes from the seed of the plant Cyamopsis tetragonolobus. It is an excellent gluten substitute. |
Start off with recipes that use relatively small amounts of flour like brownies or pancakes. The difference in taste is minimal. Below is a gluten-free flour mixture that is suitable for substituting wheat flour cup for cup. Gluten-Free Flour Mixture 6 cups white rice flour 2 cups potato starch 1 cup tapioca flour 1 tbs. xanthum gum
sealed glass container. |
